Patriots Journal: Dobson starting to emerge as catching threat

Saturday

Nov 2, 2013 at 8:22 PM

FOXBORO — It has taken longer than usual for the Patriots to figure out the rotation for their wide receivers, but it now appears that Aaron Dobson has become the leader among the team’s three rookies...

By PAUL KENYON

FOXBORO — It has taken longer than usual for the Patriots to figure out the rotation for their wide receivers, but it now appears that Aaron Dobson has become the leader among the team’s three rookies at that position.

Considering that he was drafted in the second round, two rounds ahead of Josh Boyce and totally out of range of Kenbrell Thompkins, who was not drafted at all, that probably should not be listed under the surprise category. Still, Dobson has taken an unusual route toward establishing himself.

The Marshall grad had hamstring problems last spring and fell behind in team OTAs and training camp. Then, when he did play, he had serious problems holding onto the ball, with a half-dozen drops. With Danny Amendola and Rob Gronkowski missing time, the Pats needed help from their rookies and it was Thompkins who was the prime contributor.

But Dobson has slowly worked himself into the rotation, played more and played better. Last week, he had his best game yet with four catches, giving him 26 for the season. Thompkins was targeted only once and did not make the catch.

With Amendola and Gronkowski back and with veterans Julian Edelman and Austin Collie contributing, the rookies now have to earn their time and Dobson is doing exactly that. He admits the road has been tough.

“It was a lot coming in. There was a lot I had to learn,” he said on Friday. “It’s definitely a hard offense. Me coming from college, it was totally different. The language is different. It took a lot for me to come in and know it. I’ve just got to stay in my playbook. Now I feel like I’m caught up and I feel like I’m improving. I’m just trying to keep moving forward.”

Bill Belichick indicated that was normal. Receivers must make major adjustments from college to the pros, he said.

“I think the adjustment for a rookie receiver is huge in this league,” Belichick said, “just in terms of the overall sophistication of the passing game in the National Football League, the players, the amount of press coverage on the perimeter, the number of different coverages and route adjustments that you have to make.”

“Aaron has worked really hard. He’s had a good training camp; he’s had a good season in terms of improving every day. It’s certainly not perfect but things are getting better. He works hard to improve in the areas that we ask him to.

“He’s made a lot of progress, he still has a long way to go but he’s definitely gained a lot of ground from where he was a month ago, two months ago, three months, the start of training camp. It’s a real credit to him.”

Dobson’s confidence is growing.

“I just look like I know what I’m doing,” he said. “Before it was like, you can just tell I’m thinking a lot. But I feel like the thinking is going down and I’m just out there playing.”

What’s the deal?

The Steelers have produced some un-Pittsburgh like numbers this season.

A team known for its aggressive defense and ability to take the ball away, has forced only five turnovers. It went four straight games without a turnover. It is a hard-to-believe minus nine in the turnover department, 29th in the league. The Patriots have 16 turnovers as they have extended their league high streak to 35 straight games with at least one. They are at plus seven, tied for fifth overall.

The Steelers are in position to do something Sunday they have not done since 2004. It is one mark the team wants to avoid.

Not since 2004, has the team gone four straight games without reaching the 20-point mark. Pittsburgh has scored 19, 19, and 18 points in its last three starts against the Jets, Baltimore and Oakland. Todd Haley, the team’s offensive coordinator, feels improvement is imminent.

“We’ve had a lot of moving parts — not that anybody else hasn’t — but we’ve had to overcome and mix and match a little bit. But I do feel like we’re close to playing the way we have to play for us to win on a weekly basis.”

Pittsburgh is 28th in the league in points, has not scored more than 27 in any game and has 125 points, 54 fewer than Pats. The only teams with fewer points are Jacksonville, Tampa Bay and Houston.

The Steelers enter the game as 6½ point underdogs. According to Las Vegas oddsmakers that makes them the biggest underdog in any game started by Ben Roethlisberger since 2007.

All about adapting

The victory over the Dolphins last week included a first for the Pats. They earned more first downs running (nine) than they had passing (six).

Before that game, the ratio of first downs on the ground to passing had been 7 to 18, 1 to 7, 7 to 12, 5 to 14, 3 to 9, 8 to 15 and 6 to 12. With Tom Brady having health issues, running the ball more seems like a good way to go.

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